Trey Lyles has been the X factor in Millsap’s absence
By Mathew Huff
Ever since Paul Millsap went down, Trey Lyles has been instrumental for the Nuggets.
While Paul Millsap has been out with injury, Trey Lyles has been crucial for the Denver Nuggets. When Nikola Jokic went down, Trey really amped up the production.
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Lyles looked as if he wasn’t even going to see the floor much at the beginning of the year. With the log jam in the front court, Denver was looking like they had gotten fleeced in the trade with Utah where Donovan Mitchell landed with the Jazz.
Well, after Mitchell started getting hot, Lyles answered the bell. With Millsap out, he has been taking the most of his opportunity. Did he score 40? No. But, he has been remarkably efficient when it comes to his defense, shooting percentage and rebounding.
Trey is also very versatile. He has proven to not only win the battles down low, but also stretch the floor as well. In the recent win over the Detroit Pistons, Lyles actually shot a perfect seven for seven from the field. Impressive, especially since it was on the road as well.
If Lyles continues to get decent minutes where he has an opportunity to prove his worth, then he will be able to hold down the fort while Millsap continues to rehab his wrist. Trey will have his share of struggles down the road, but that is to be expected with someone who is as young as him.
If he continues to be consistent, then all the fans talking bad Denver in the Lyles trade will need to find a new narrative to elaborate on. Trey can play both the four and five and opens up the floor up for the guards to operate the offense.
While there is a bit of recency bias involved here, one cannot deny Trey has been making the most of his minutes without Millsap in the rotation.